Nightwing #1
Tim Seeley (w), Javier Fernandez (a)
DC Comics

Liz says: ‘Better than Batman’? ‘As good as Grayson’ was all I was hoping for from the new Nightwing series, which is actually a pretty tall order. ‘Grayson’ was my favourite New 52 book by a country mile. Maybe because it existed a bit under the radar, rarely crossing over into any of the event storylines, it managed to get away with being this bonkers, brilliant, hilarious little gem that felt more like a Vertigo book than a mainstream DC book.

So, I’ll admit I had my worries about Nightwing #1. Would all that wonderful character development carry over into Rebirth or be lost with the New 52? Fortunately, Tim Seeley (one half of the original ‘Grayson’ writing team, the other having been Tom King) managed to do what seemed nigh on impossible and managed to craft a first issue that feels like a logical extension of the ‘Grayson’ series and yet is clearly a Nightwing book, riffing on all the themes that most strongly define the character. He’s always moving forward, beating up bad guys with ‘a stick and a smile’, and he’s doing it with Batman’s support but without his advice. And he’s doing it while going undercover as a double agent with the Parliament of Owls.

‘Better than Batman’ is the name of the first story arc, and while at first glance but appear to be a bit of a swaggery title, it actually refers not to Nightwing but to Raptor, Dick’s dangerous new partner. The Parliament assigns Raptor as his mentor, and it becomes clear right away that this guy’s no Batman.

All in all, I couldn’t be happier with this first issue and setup. Seeley has honed in on the best aspects of Dick’s ongoing story and written an issue as quirky, dark and funny (if I wanted anything from this book, I wanted funny) as his ‘Grayson’ run, and started a Nightwing book that looks set to be truly unique – better than I ever could have hoped for.